WHAT CAN BE DONE TO INCREASE BREAST FEEDING RATES IN THE UK.

[lissie]

we all know that postnatal care is a huge factor, but what else can be done?

i speak as a failed bf-er who will try again with every baby i have, but supports the mothers right to choose.

Arent we losing sight of the thread here? How we can encourage/increase breastfeeding rates? The aim isnt to slag off formula.
It is sad that we as a nation are pretty rubbish at breastfeeding.
In Scandinavia breastfeeding is totally accepted and the norm and women do have fewer probs, am sure its in part because they see other women doing it all the time and it becomes almost second nature.
In England (where I live anyway) it is still unusual to see breastfeeding women in public, esp with older babies, and we lose touch with just how to do it. Lots of women who do breastfeed dont feel comfortable feeding in public and so give up sooner than they would like.

I am not slagging off formula, Pannacotta, but pointing out that less formula would be a cost-saving public health move, which fed up disputed. I also defended the junk-food feeding ex-breastfeeders, who fedup decided to judge

Tiktok - just wanted to add that as a formula feeder my heart is always gladdened by the way you support breastfeeding mums, without ever making me feel guilty/inadequate/uncommitted or any of the other things that some of my health professionals have done .

Breast feeding clinics attached to GP surgeries/Sure Start Centres and have both ante-natal and post natal sessions.

With more trained support when going through difficulties I think more women would get the specific help they need and carry on feeding.

Thanks, bags

Ditto what everyone else has said but mainly the immediate support post-natally is key IMHO.
Bf both mine but only cos I was determined to get them to latch etc, as midwives on the post-natal ward were too busy to help. .
Perhaps getting properly trained bf councillors on post natal wards and doing post-natal home visits is the only way as the mw's seem to have enough on their plates with all the other post-natal checks they have to do.

living in st albans helps!

i got info when pregnant

teaching about positions when pregnant

info at hospital

round the clock helping to latch on in hospital

access to breastpumps if needed

phone help of breastfeeding counsellors

a breastfeeding cafe for more advice

amazing really - i felt very very supported ( no pun intended!!)

newgirl thats great! if only it was standard

A bf cafe - fab!!

I must go there if I have another.

I had great support from all except one midwife and my health visitor was great.

The only reason I kept breastfeeding was sheer pigheadedness! But as others have said I spent many feeds in tears thinking this should be easier and more natural when actually many women were going through the same thing.

Expectations given by NHS leaflets and professionals make you feel like you are failing and do not support imo. Every picture of a breastfeeding mother had pert breasts with large nipples and a several month old baby who is much more aware of the world and opens its mouth cos it knows where the food is coming from unlike a new born! My nipples are flat but become about 2cms long by the end of a feed, which to me suggests that it will initially cause pain before the nipples toughen! When I had thrush and phoned doctors was informed by receptionist to buy some canestan as they couldn't make a double appointment for me and baby.

It would be great if more mums who's been through it all could help others but having been to a breastfeeding cafe provided by surestart to find only 4 mums including me suggests that the help is either not publisised or that women don't want the help???

I'd never thought about the TV thing but great idea!

Unfortunately formula is the norm but I do think it's changing but not fast enough. Formula is not a bad choice just not the best choice! I think breastfeeding is hard and to make mothers who have tried and not managed feel like even worse than they already do by having to beg doctor for formula is not the answer at all.

Having successfully managed to breastfeed my son after many problems and read so much about it I really believe that it's much harder than formula and lots of people will only stick at something that's hard if its really important to them. It's harder than it needs to be for many I agree because of many factors but I don't think there's a quick fix but women need to be aware that it's not easy so they can be realistic.

cinnamongreyhound what a good post !

I think you hit the nail on the head about the 'pigheadedness' and sheer determination. Also about realising that it is normal for it to be slightly uncomfortable whilst baby (and you) adjust.

Lets not forget that bf helps in the weight loss dept too !

let blokes breast feed too

Hmmm - I think we (ie the government/NHS)need to stress that formula is a pale imitation by promoting the uniqueness of human milk. As well as restricting the promotion of formula more than we do at the moment e.g. no advertising at all. Period. And MUCH more support for nursing mums in hospital and beyond. In doing this, the cultural norms surrounding breastfeeding would gradually change and we would have a positive cycle (more breastfeeding would breed yet more and more).

Stressing the positive about human milk would grab the attention of the middle class mums. Why would you want to give your child the inferior product that is formula? That's what people have to start thinking. At the moment, and I think at least one previous poster has said this, even the best educated of mums thinks that formula is roughly equivalent and it is not.

We all want the best for our kids - and in terms of nutrition BF'ing is the best.

Tiktok my post not aimed at you, I was trying to say that I thought that it was getting into a breastfeeding v forumla debate when the OP was asking how we can improve the breastfeeding rates.
Quite agree that increased breastfeeding would be a public health benefit...

fedupwasherwoman - I honestly don't think I am missing the point...but I don't think I explained it very well . My idea isn't to prevent women such as those in your senario (you?) from using formula or having to plead with their GP that they need it...far from it...I would hope (as an idealistic layman & not a practical sort who makes government policy ) is that by having to go to see someone to get hold of formula, those mums that are unaware of some issues or need help with their bfing are able to get help & support. Lots of women atm switch to formula simply because they don't get the right help and support they need and it is those women that my idea is primarily aimed at - getting bfing help to the masses. In your senario I would hope that the woman would be happy to discuss the idea of switching so she was aware of all the issues involved and was able to make an informed decision. If after that discussion she still wanted to switch then (under my idea) the GP would be free to prescribe the formula and advise/support with the different ways of going about it, without thinking about targets (hate those things anyway ) and do what is best for the mum & her baby.....

...It's a pretty idealistic view really....I am aware that it is pretty unlikely to become a reality at all. Like I said earlier the NHS is nowhere near to being able to offer that sort of support atm....in all likliehood the GP would either blindly prescribe formula & offer no help with the bfing (if the posts on forums such as this are anything to go by ) or refuse & offer bad Bfing help/advice that made the situation worse . The whole system would need a LOT of work & all HPs would need a LOT of training for the idea to be successful without, like you say, increasing PND levels & black market formula or even worse black market BM . I am NOT saying that formula should be taken off the market tomorrow.....I am saying that maybe we should be working towards that as an ultimate goal, after doing things like banning ALL advertising/marketing of formula (incl that to HPs), reducing it's availablility or reducing the number of brands....alongside quadrupling the number of bm banks in the uk to reduce having to use formula at all.

I would like to add that I do know what it's like not wanting to feed in public. I may be quite a balshy sort of bfer now, 3 years down the line....but I do remember what it was like having to expose all (& I mean ALL ) of my 44J sized boobs in order to put my shields on when DS was 1-4 months old & refused to feed from me without them & how mortified I felt doing it outside of home .

1. Advertise the benefits to the mother. They are more likely to return to pre pregnancy weight after six months of feeding.

2. Every community needs a BF cafe, place to go with babies where exoerience BF can advise or give help. 3. Before formula, a baby would not have survived without Breast milk. It is more natural and steeped in history than many every day actions. It's crazy and culturally narrow minded that some people don't consider this.

Formula on prescription? Who's going to pay for that? (Sorry playing devils advocate) I know you don't mean for it to be free DO YOU?

Forgot to mention. I BF DS for a year. I enjoyed and found weaning easy, without much support - I think hid experience of flavour was broad and so food tasted familiar.

My family said i would never successfully BF, no one in our family had before, they would not support me - and frowned upon me once DS reached 6months as did many friends.

i ate a lot of fennel to increase flow at DS five moths mark. I drank a lot of water.

The most difficult part was when DS began to need solids as well as breastmilk, my flow wasn't quite enough. Once we were past this tricky bit the second six months were great.

Forgot to mention. I BF DS for a year. I enjoyed and found weaning easy, without much support - I think hid experience of flavour was broad and so food tasted familiar.

My family said i would never successfully BF, no one in our family had before, they would not support me - and frowned upon me once DS reached 6months as did many friends.

i ate a lot of fennel to increase flow at DS five moths mark. I drank a lot of water.

The most difficult part was when DS began to need solids as well as breastmilk, my flow wasn't quite enough. Once we were past this tricky bit the second six months were great.

In march's mother and baby issue there are 6 whole page adverts relating to bottle feeding, 2 of those pages are for Formula Milk specifically. There was one smallish picture of a woman breastfeeding IN A PREGNANCY MAGAZINE. Let's face the reality, as long as you have an imbalance such as this people will think the norm is to FF.

Agree with other posts that advertising of all types of formula should be completely banned (am pretty sure this is the case in Sweden/Norway).
Infant feeding should not be influenced by big wealthy companies such as Nestle, feeding a baby should not be a commercial venture! Too much emphasis is put on buying kit for a baby but feeding a baby should have nothing to do with this consumerist attitude. Rant over...

I think alot of people give up bf or dont want to try bf because establishing bf can be so painful. I suppose if a mother has had a traumatic/difficult birth they might feel that they have been through enough and dont want to go through anymore.
I have just stopped bf feeding dd2 and I also bf dd1, I come from a bottle fed family who are really anti bf. I got my support through a fantastic midwife and through friends and DH!.This support was essential as I got none from my family.. I agree with other posts that we need to look at the countries where women are predominantly BF to learn about their approach of getting more women to do it.

I know I will annoy a few people by saying this but having bf both daughters, I cant understand why people chose even before the baby is born not to bf. I feel a sense of loss for the people who havent experienced this wonderfully natural way of feeding our babies.

i think its both support and helpfulness that i have rarely seen in midwives ( sure the ones on mumsnet are fab )

and reintroducing it as a societal norm - sure start have done lots to encourage this IME

JennsterSlugSlayer - yes that's the other problem with the idea...cost.....although the cost of training HPs would likely be the one that sinks the idea more than the increased government-funded formula....with the old milk vouchers & now the new healthy start vouchers some formula use is already paid for by our taxes. Of course there are loads of people who don't get the vouchers & use formula.....although I wonder how many of them wouldn't be using formula if there were enough support for bfing...maybe I should start some FOI requests for the healthy start scheme & sales figures from the formula co's to see if the idea is a goer?

To be able to actually see a real liver bfer when pg, just ot get an idea ho it's done, and talk to them about it.

I think if they had real mums come into the ante-natal classes etc. it wd help a lot.